


Have a Little Pride

by elrond50



Category: Pacific Rim (Movies)
Genre: Au everyone lives, M/M, Pride, fun fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-16
Updated: 2018-06-16
Packaged: 2019-05-24 06:02:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,322
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14948940
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elrond50/pseuds/elrond50
Summary: Normalcy returns to the world and so does the New York City Pride Parade. Chuck happens to be in New York...





	Have a Little Pride

The War was over. Finally. Chuck rolled over and out of the bed at his hotel room in New York City. Winning the Kaiju War made the PPDC planetary heroes. Lots of leaked documents to many news outlets in the aftermath of Mutavore’s attack on Sydney and the PPDC winning less than a month later, put the United Nations in a terrible light. Many governments changed hands in the weeks following and the UN changed its tune on the PPDC.

All of that brought the remaining Rangers and incoming Marshal to New York.

Even almost five months after Pitfall, Chuck was sore. Broken bones healed, tore ligaments mending, but exhaustion from a lifetime of fighting was hard to combat. He envied the other Rangers, they had some frame of reference for what life was like before K-Day. Mako was thirteen when her life changed. She didn’t get to the Academy until she was eighteen. The Weis were in their early twenties when they got a jaeger. Sasha and Aleksis were seasoned veterans when the kaiju arrived.

Yancy was twenty-one and Raleigh eighteen when they got into Gipsy Danger. But their life changed when Raleigh was fifteen. They had a frame of reference.

His dad and Uncle Scott, were like the Russians, full adults when K-Day happened. But Chuck was barely ten when he survived Scissure and the attack on Sydney. Eleven years later, and half of those in a jaeger, and he was at very loose ends.

However, they were all in New York for several huge celebrations. World Leaders were gathering to honor the PPDC. Stacker Pentecost was retiring and his dad was taking his place as Marshal. Worse as far as Chuck was concerned, Yancy Becket was being elevated to Deputy Marshal. After surviving Knifehead (he told that story many times) and Gipsy out of commission for two years, he was a stickler for procedure. Raleigh didn’t argue…much.

Chuck started the coffee maker in his room as he started going through his stretches. Striker Eureka, Gipsy Danger, Cherno Alpha, Crimson Typhoon, and the rebuilt Lucky Seven attacked the Breach. Chuck laughed as he recalled leaving his Uncle Scott in charge with Tendo Choi as the five jaegers saved the world. He loved his uncle and was glad he’d recovered from his seizure that almost cost him and his dad their lives. Lucky Seven wasn’t so fortunate until Mako rebuilt it.

She and her adopted father took Lucky to the Breach. Striker detonated the payload and now he was standing starkers in a room in New York looking down at Central Park. Loose ends indeed.  

He slowly did his stretching exercises as he waited for his caffeine fix. Striker had been called upon more than any jaeger in the time Chuck took his place next to his father.  Twelve credited kills. Next came Gipsy with nine. He stopped thinking about it. The Breach was closed and the PPDC had more funds to rebuild the program than they knew what do with honestly.

Looking over the local news he stopped when he spotted something. ‘ **With War Won, Pride Parade returning!’** He blinked and slowly smiled.

Mako loved sending him articles from magazines on how cute he was when he was sixteen or the big articles on how Chuck Hansen was eighteen and getting hot. Yancy loved sending him gossip items about what woman Chuck was dating now. His uncle left some of the trashiest pictures up all over the Ranger areas in Sydney.

Not once, in any article, did they ever come close to getting it right. Chuck Hansen was gay. Limited on experience, but found a little time to know exactly what he liked. And here was a perfect place to make the biggest splash possible. He smiled again as he fixed his coffee. Love to see all the faces when Chuck made it clear he played for the other team. Then he could find someone to get to know. He knew who he wanted. His dad and uncle teased him every so often about that crush. He usually asked Max to bite them at that point.

While life on the Atlantic side of the world was disrupted, there was still plenty of normalcy to life. That meant the parade should be fun. Chuck smiled. He needed real fun. This was just what he needed.

* * *

 

Raleigh watched as Chuck sauntered into the lobby of the hotel. He’d missed a PR briefing and didn’t answer his phone when they called. They found Max sleeping alone in Chuck’s room, with no sign of Chuck. Now the twenty-one year old Ranger looked like he didn’t have a care in the world.

“Where have you been?” Yancy asked as he moved to interrogate the youngest Ranger. “We had a briefing for Saturday’s gala. And now you have a fitting for your dress uniform!”

Chuck rolled his eyes and kept walking.

“Hansen! I’m talking to you!”

That stopped all the other Ranger conversations. Raleigh watched as his brother’s pale face turned red. They all watched as Chuck kept walking to the elevators.

Knowing he needed to do something, Raleigh moved to intercept Yancy before he did something he and Chuck might regret. “Hey, stop.”

“Bro, get out of the way. We need to get the new chain of command established or the UN might have our heads again.” Yancy moved to get passed Raleigh, but was stopped again.

“Technically, he’s still on Medical leave and only here because the UN insisted he join the festivities. The rest of us are active duty. He’s not.” Raleigh hoped that was enough to get Yancy to stand down.

It worked. Yancy deflated a bit. Chuck was the only Ranger still on Medical leave having suffered the most injuries as Striker took the brunt of the damage at the breach. Slattern had it out for the Aussie Jaeger. Herc came out with half the damage Chuck sustained.

“Fine. You talk to him.” Yancy stalked away and towards where Herc and Stacker were having a drink.

Raleigh shook his and wondered what was up with Chuck. Knowing he had to get a handle on the situation before his big brother took action he followed. He sighed at Mako’s knowing smirk. He ignored it as he headed up.

* * *

 

Chuck looked in the mirror and smiled. He looked good in the rainbow speedos he found. He had a cut off Aussie Olympic t-shirt that would expose his abs and some cool looking shoes. Two calls and he’d met one of the parade organizers. They were ecstatic to have Ranger Chuck Hansen ride on one of the floats. The return of Pride was a big deal. Having a hero Come Out was even bigger.

But it was Top Secret.

So Chuck took in his outfit he’d wear on the top of one of the floats and started posing. The speedo did nothing to hide what he was packing. The multicolored image did hide the outline of his cock, but not how full it his crotch looked. Destroying all those gossip articles and fan sites in one blow really excited him. He was reinventing himself and getting a fresh start.

“What are you wearing?”

Chuck turned so fast his neck gave a twinge. Raleigh stood there staring at him. More like gawking actually.

“Do you knock?” Chuck wasn’t going to justify anything in his own room. Hell, he preferred to not wear anything in his own spaces.

“Had the key from this morning. What are you wearing?” He tried not to stare, but Chuck was a very fit man and cute too. Ninety percent of the reason Yancy tormented Chuck was to torment Raleigh at the same time. He was an ass like that. The drift couldn’t hide Raleigh’s crush on Chuck that grew by leaps and bounds as the kid aged into an adult Ranger. A broad fit Ranger with dimples, a cute smile, and a huge brain too. Huge other things from the looks of it as well.

“That’s none of your concern.” He walked into his bathroom and came out to see Raleigh on the floor with Max. He’d gotten dressed again in his casual clothes. “You’re still here.”

“Yancy wants to kill you so yeah, I’m still here.” Raleigh took a deep breath. “You looked really good in that outfit.” He gave Chuck his best smile.

Chuck blushed and sputtered for a moment. Raleigh Becket, the Ranger he’d liked since he was thirteen and started to figure out what he liked was on the floor playing with Max, his best friend, and giving him a smile that melted hearts around the world. “I’m going to be in the Pride Parade. The world is saved and I’m not going to let PR stuff me in a closet.”

He waited for a negative reaction from Raleigh, but only got a broader smile. He watched as his fellow Ranger stood up and pulled him into a tight hug.

“That is awesome!” Raleigh ducked his head and looked around. “Can I go with you?” he added a little smirk to his smile. “I’ll wear something tight, but not that revealing. You Aussies have no shame.”

It took a moment for Chuck to process what he heard. “You want to come with me? To the Parade? Be on the float?”

“Yeah. I’m part of that group. I’m the hidden ‘B’ that always got overlooked, or so they tell me. PR would not let me date a guy.” He ran a hand through his hair and looked over at Chuck. “That okay?”

“Yeah!” Chuck was going to be in the Parade with another Ranger. “The more the merrier!” Plus, Raleigh was bisexual. What started as a shite day was looking up! And maybe he had hope with that hopeless crush of his.

* * *

 

Chuck walked around the hotel gym. Just because he was in New York didn’t mean he was going to slack off on his physical therapy. The first of the ‘Meet and Greets’ was later that night with full gala the following night. Then on Sunday afternoon was the Parade. Chuck wanted to make sure he looked perfect for that ride across New York.

“What are you planning?” Mako demanded as she kept Chuck from completing his butterfly routine.

He eyed here for a moment before using his leg to nudge her out of his way. “I’m going to finish this then take Max for a walk. Then I’m going to shower and change into the dress uniform for tonight’s event. Why?”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “Raleigh is bouncing around like a puppy and it is making Yancy nervous. So he pesters me about it. This is your fault!”

“Not sure how I get all the blame, but I have a feeling I’m innocent here…” he trailed off as he completed his routine.

“If you don’t tell me by the end of tonight I will take drastic measures; I will ask your father!” She knew ways to get Chuck to talk.

He rolled his eyes and finished wiping the sweat from his head. “That worked when I was a teenager. Okay it worked until I was twenty. I’m in the clear on this one.”

“We’ll see, Chuck Hansen.”

* * *

 

These events always made Chuck uncomfortable. Politicians wanted photo-ops, not opinions. Chuck didn’t care for the former and was full of the latter. That was one reason Chuck rarely was allowed to attend these types of events. But this was a command performance.

Suddenly he was ‘grabbed’ by the elbow and steered into a hallway only used by the staff. He glared at Yancy but didn’t say anything until no one else was around.

“Tell me that Raleigh isn’t being honest!” he demanded.

“Oi! Honest about what, mate? And stop pushing me around!” Chuck straightened his jacket while glaring at the older Ranger.  

 “About marching in the Pride parade!” Yancy hissed. “You can’t!”

“I damned well can and will! This is my life and I’m not playing by the stupid rules I was forced to while the War was raging.” He started to turn but was grabbed again.

“You _can’t_! It could endanger our funding!” Yancy pleaded.

“You bloody selfish arse!” Chuck pushed Yancy back. “I’ve lived in shatterdome after shatterdome since I was ten. I’ve given everything to the War. I am going to do this for me and everyone like me!” He started to walk away.

“Chuck, wait.” Yancy sighed and shook his head. “I keep forgetting how young you are. How you had to fight when we went down and Scott got injured.” He rubbed his forehead and sighed again. “I’m not going to wear whatever getup has Raleigh over the moon, but I’ll march with you and my baby brother. We saved the world for everyone.”

He blinked a few times and then Chuck hugged Yancy for a moment. “The more the merrier!”

* * *

 

The gala was far worse than the ‘Meet and Greet’ as far as Chuck was concerned. They were in full formal uniform. High collars and medals were everywhere. He refused to hear the rumors of a knighthood for dad and him. Stacker was rumored to get one too. And the evening was endless. Very Important People from everywhere wanted to make small talk with him. One princess even flirted with him. Endless!

Then he got cornered at one point by Mako, again.

“I want to go too!” She said while glaring up at Chuck. She knew he was hiding something.

The sigh escaped before he could stop it. She looked perfect in her formal uniform which helped her intimidation factor. “Who told you?”

“Raleigh once I threatened to break his ankles. Yancy was there to stop me if he wanted and he did not interfere.” She looked at Chuck and sighed. “It is about time that you allowed yourself to be you. You’ve only been the Ranger. Tomorrow you show everyone, Chuck.” She patted his cheek and waved.

He watched as she stalked away and sighed with relief. He moved closer to the festivities. The dancing was in full swing and many uniforms were visible from his vantage point. It literally sparkled with all the jewels that were in the room.

“Would you like to take a spin around the dance floor?” Raleigh whispered in Chuck’s ear from behind the younger Ranger.

Knowing what he was going to do tomorrow afternoon, Chuck nodded. One dance couldn’t hurt. And with Raleigh which was a dream come true.

They danced with Raleigh leading. Neither said much of anything, but part of Chuck had a vision of what their wedding might look like. Only on the rarest of occasion did he give into such daydreams as he grew up. But in this setting he could almost feel it. It made him smile.

“You have a dreamy look on your face. What’s on your mind?” Raleigh asked as he leaned a little closer.

“Our wedding reception,” he said with a laugh. “Imagined it once or twice growing up. Never thought I’d ever even dance with you.”

That got a laugh out of Raleigh. “So Yancy and Mako are joining us tomorrow, but they want to walk in front of the float. I’ll be with you.” He liked what Chuck said and filed that away.

They finished their dance and went their separate ways. Herc intercepted Chuck and angled him towards one of the bars. “Looked good dancing with him.”

Chuck shrugged. He figured his dad had an idea of some of his thoughts due to years of drifting. “Thanks. That was actually fun.”

“Scott and I will be walking with that float tomorrow too, son.” Herc sipped his drink while his son sputtered. “You think Security is going to let a Ranger wander around New York without a discreet detail?” He patted his son on the shoulder. “I also talked to Yancy so he’s less worried. You’ve never done anything for you, son, so enjoy this. If he wants, enjoy it with Raleigh too. And son, ask him on a date while you’re up there tomorrow!”

Chuck got his drink unable to formulate a response and watched as his dad was pulled onto the dance floor to take a spin with the wife of the President of France. The whole trip was full of surprises.

* * *

 

Chuck climbed onto the top of the float which was a huge ‘Thank You’ to the PPDC. He took off his tracky dacks and arranged his dog tags to be outside his ‘shirt’ for this. He was going to have fun. He smiled as Raleigh joined him and slipped his shirt off. He was going to go topless with some tight bicycle shorts on. The rainbow leis around his neck gave the perfect splash of color. The both put on sunglasses and happily took some bottled water from some of the others on the float.

“You look amazing,” Chuck commented as he took in Raleigh. He ran his hands along those sculpted biceps. He had to keep control since his speedo already barely held his cock in place. He wasn’t putting on _that_ kind of show in New York.

“Not as amazing as you are, Chuck. You are amazing and brave. Thank you!” He placed a kiss on Chuck’s cheek and then winked at him. He wanted to do more but was going to wait until after the parade ended. And where his nosy brother wasn’t.

The music started blaring and Chuck was shocked as the rest of the Rangers appeared and started walking in front of the float. They all started dancing around and getting the crowd into it.

The DJ on the float kept the music pumping as the people went nuts seeing Chuck Hansen and Raleigh Becket on top of a Pride float dancing with each other and looking as risqué as possible. The other Rangers fanned out and greeted people left and right. The people of New York screamed as the heroes of the Kaiju War celebrated Pride.

Mako added red and purple to her hair to make it a little more rainbow. Stacker and Herc were in a convertible right in front of the float waving and cheering. The Weis ran back and forth signing autographs and giving out kisses to whomever wanted one. While Sasha posed with people in the crowd for selfies. Aleksis had a rainbow flag cape and his PPDC muscle shirt on. He had the crowd roaring.  

The float came to a stop right in the middle of the route and the music got louder.

“ _We are family! I got all my sisters with me!_

_We are family! Get up everybody and sing!”_

Chuck pulled Raleigh over and kissed him like he’d dreamed for years. That the kiss was returned with equal fervor shocked Chuck for only a moment before he went at it.

The woots and hollers from the crowd actually drowned out the music and pictures streamed over the Internet of Chuck Hansen and Raleigh Becket sharing a filthy kiss on a float in the middle of New York’s Pride Parade.

All the Rangers walking on the street pointed back and laughed. Mako elbowed Yancy. “I told you this was going to happen.”

He rolled his eyes and clapped as his brother was getting exactly what he’d wanted for the last three years, one snarky brat of an Aussie jaeger pilot. But he had to admit, his brother had taste. That brat was smart, loyal, and a hero. He whistled and motioned for all the Rangers to gather in front of the float. “Rals! Stop playing tonsil hockey and take a picture!”

The picture that defined that weekend in New York was that image: all the Rangers at the Pride Parade having a great time. And it happened to have Raleigh and Chuck in an embrace that truly reflected the meaning of Pride: Love is Love. 

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Pride everyone! I wanted to add a little celebration for the PPDC.


End file.
